From crystal to micelle: a new approach to the micellar structure

The structure of sodium and rubidium deoxycholate micellar aggregates in aqueous solutions was found to be helical and to be stabilized mainly by polar interactions. Astonishingly, the lateral surface of the helix is covered by nonpolar groups and the interior part is filled with cations surrounded by water molecules, as in the case of an inverted micelle. This helical model was inferred from the crystal structures of sodium and rubidium deoxycholates and proved by spectroscopic and diffractometric experimental data. The strategy of the approach to the determination of the micellar structure and the comparison with another model, previously proposed for the bile salt micelles, are reported. On the basis of some results obtained for sodium tauro- and glyco-deoxycholates, micellar models are suggested which could account for the biological function of these important conjugated bile salts.